Naivete (Naivety)
by booksnob
Summary: Ace and Marco meet a girl on a backwards little island in the first half of the Grand Line. What will they do with the one everyone calls "Demon"?
1. Chapter 1: The Demon Child

I dashed down the muddy street feeling dirt and water hit my clothes and face as I ran. The villagers were getting closer and if they caught me I'd be in so much trouble. I don't even remember why I'm being chased, I mean aside from the obvious reasons. They did think I was some kind of evil demon all because of these weird powers. I didn't ask for these powers; I don't even want them.

I bolted around a corner, slipping into an alley, and crouched behind some crates transforming quickly.

"Where'd she go?" the mob leader growled.

"She has to be around here somewhere," another snapped.

Using the alley shadows to my advantage I slunk along the wall as the men searched.

"There she is!" someone shouted pointing at me as I bolted down the empty street towards a large group surrounding the bar/inn near the docks.

Maybe if I could sneak past them I could hide in some traveler's room until everything calms down again.

-Marco's POV-

I sighed as I tried to explain that no, my companion was not dead, he was just asleep. They were a relatively old fashioned group, the women wearing plain dresses that covered every inch of skin aside from their faces and hands and the men in knee length boots that they tucked their pants into with long sleeved shirts.

A group of men with pitchforks ran up to the crowd waving their arms frantically. "The Demon Child! She's here. The Demon's loose!" everyone screamed and started looking around in a panic.

Demon? I arched an eyebrow as a small black streak darted between everyone's feet and disappeared under my companion's hat. Well, Ace isn't going to like having a demon under his hat and what was that nonsense about a Demon Child? I sighed as I returned to my seat and waited for him to wake up.

-Ace's POV-

I sat up groggily wiping rice off my face, "I fell asleep."

I glanced at the men searching the room, knocking over tables and ransacking the bar in back.

"Yes you did –yoi," Marco nodded taking a lazy sip from his mug.

"What's going on with them?" I nodded towards the villagers.

"Looking for the Demon under your hat -yoi," he chuckled.

"Demon?" I asked skeptically.

"That's what they said. They're looking for a Demon Child –yoi," he rose to his feet gesturing for me to leave with him as we headed up to his room.

-Demon Child OC'S POV-

I closed my eyes breathing deeply as I felt my heart rate start to return to normal as I curled under the bright orange fabric of the first person I'd seen upon entering the bar. He moved suddenly rising to his feet, my reflex was to dig my claws in to prevent myself from being thrown off.

"Ow," he complained shaking his head slightly.

"What is it -yoi?" another voice asked.

"This Demon doesn't like me moving," he kept complaining as he walked.

I think he was going upstairs.

"Well we're here so you can let it out now –yoi," they stopped and next thing I knew I was sitting on a bed in the upturned hat that had previously been my shelter.

"A cat? The Demon they're freaking out about is a cat?" the shirtless one asked in shock.

"I'm not just a cat," I transformed back to my human form, frowning.


	2. Chapter 2: Who Are You?

-Ace-

I stare at the girl sitting on the bed who looks about my age with long black hair with streaks of varying shades of brown. Her blue eyes dart quickly between me and Marco, frightened. "I'm not just a cat," she frowned.

"What's you're name, yoi?" Marco asked taking a small step forward.

"Tori," she shifted off my hat then returned it to me.

"Well Tori, I'm Marco and this is Ace, yoi," he introduced us.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled kindly. "Sorry I hid under your hat, Ace. I kinda didn't want to be caught."

"What did you do to make them so angry?" I asked placing my hat back on my head.

"I'm a Demon, or at least the child of one," she shrugged flinching slightly when someone knocked on the door.

-Tori-

My gaze jumped from the blonde and his shirtless companion to the door as whoever it was knocked again.

The black haired one shoved me onto my back throwing blankets over me before covering the lump I made with his body. He was unnaturally warm, almost like he had a fever.

"Can I help you, yoi?" Marco asked opening the door.

"Have you seen either a small black and brown cat, or a teenage girl with black hair and brown streaks?" one of the villagers asked, the one that always started the mobs that chased me.

"No I haven't, yoi," he closed the door turning back to me.

-Marco-

I stood and stared at Ace for a moment, pinning the girl to the bed, and blocking her body from view. "You can get off now, they're gone, yoi."

I shook my head at him as he climbed off the girl letting me get my first good look at her clothes. Her sleeves were several inches shorter than her wrists; the corset pulled over her shirt was stretched, squishing her chest; and her skirt, short and hugging her hips far too tightly to be comfortable.

"Why did you lie?" she asked settling back into a seated position, pulling her bare and muddied feet under her.

"You've done nothing wrong, I see no reason to let them have you and do whatever they want with you," Ace answered before promptly falling asleep beside her.

"He does that all the time, yoi," I waved off her unasked question, "It's late, perhaps you should be getting back to your parents. They're probably worried about you. Why don't you let us walk you home, yoi?"

I helped her to her feet. "No, you don't have to. I'll be fine. Besides, my parents probably aren't that worried."

She backed away hastily, nervousness creeping into her tone. "Nonsense, Pops would be ashamed of us if we left you out there alone," Ace cut back in, already awake.

"Well…if you insist," she relented with a sigh.

**(Author's comment: thanks to Claridessa for beta reading this chapter and the last chapter. Sorry it took so long to get up, end of the year and all. Hope you enjoy and I will try to progressively make chapters longer.)**


	3. Chapter 3: Hurt

-Tori-

I glanced behind me at the two following me. Ace had his hands buried in the pockets of his black shorts and Marco hands were lazily clasped behind his head. I walked quickly, eyes darting back and forth in case someone noticed me. "Where exactly are we going?" Ace asked catching up to me easily.

"The woods, where I live," I pointed to the trees surrounding the village, "I'm not welcome in town so I live in the woods outside it." I shrugged.

"Why aren't you welcome here, yoi?" Marco asked popping up on my other side.

"I'm a Demon Child," I answered openly, "I'm sure you noticed my ability to change from a human to a cat. No one else can and nobody knows how or why I can do it so they figure I'm not human. Mom was human with strange abilities, so my father must have been a Demon, logically." I shrugged ducking into the shaded tree line.

"That's terrible," Ace frowned glaring at his feet.

"I'm not asking you to feel bad for me, it's just…the way things are."

"Well, the way things are is wrong!" he shouted punching a tree.

"A child should not be judged by who their parents are but how they were raised and the way they behave, yoi," Marco placed a hand on my shoulder with a small smile.

I nodded, the corners of my mouth turning up in a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes, "This way."

*Awhile later*

I stopped in a small clearing and kneeled in front of two stones right next to each other. Covered in weeds, I started clearing the vegetation away.

-Marco-

I watched Tori with interest as she brushed vines and weeds away from two blocky stones standing in the center of the small clearing she lead us to. "What are you doing?" Ace asked sitting next to her.

"Clearing off the graves," she stood brushing her hands off on her threadbare skirt and turned to face me, "You wanted me to take you to my parents, well here they are," she gestured to the tombstones.

Ace stared from the tombstones to her shock written all over his face. She took a few steps back, starting to leave. "I should be going. It was really nice of you to save me and all but I don't want to get you in trouble," she reasoned, "You can just follow the trail back and you should make it to town. Bye Ace, Marco."

Ace crossed the clearing quickly and wrapping an arm around her waist threw her over his shoulder turning back to me. "Come on, Pops is waiting. We should hurry back."

I nodded leading the way back through the trees. "Can you put me down please?" she asked quietly.

"Are you going to try and run off, yoi?" I asked slowing to walk next to her again.

"That depends on what you're going to do with me," she looked up at me with another forced smile.

"We're taking you with us. We can't leave you here alone with these people. Who knows what they're going to do to you," Ace answered, his hand sliding from her waist to her hip as she tried to push herself up.

He quickly readjusted his grip, cheeks red. "They'd just do to me what they always do," she shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Such as?" I asked catching sight of scars crisscrossing her shoulders.

A glint of fear flashed in her eyes as she shrank away from me. She transformed quickly scrambling from Ace's shoulder to under his hat.

-Tori-

I curled up under Ace's hat not wanting to talk about anything the villagers did to me. If I closed my eyes I could still smell the smoke and hear Mom screaming. If I sat still long enough I could even hear the gunshot.

*Flashback*

"For the crime of having sexual relations with a Demon, your punishment is death at the stake," the Mayor shouted over the roar of the crowd as Mom was dragged forward in cuffs.

"Mommy!" I screamed trying to pull away from Dad, crying, "No, Mommy didn't do anything wrong it's my fault," I begged.

"No Tori it's not your fault," Dad held me close blocking my view of what they were doing, pressing my face into his chest.

The scent of burning wood and flesh washed over us as the stake was lit. "Rebecca!" Dad shouted breaking away from me and running towards Mom.

He didn't make it there steps away from the crowd before someone pointed a gun at him and fired. I screamed.

*End Flashback*

I trembled under the bright orange fabric breaking out into a cold sweat despite the heat building up, trapped between his head and the brim. "Hey, you okay?" Ace asked reaching his hand up to pet me.

Gently he wrapped his fingers around my small frame and removing me from my hiding spot. Holding me close to his chest he stroked my fur in a calming manner, "Don't worry, they can't hurt you anymore."


End file.
